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Biomedical subjects

L Grunebaum

Publications and source records attributed to L Grunebaum.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Electrophoretic studies on molecular defects of von Willebrand factor and platelet glycoprotein IIb-IIIa with antibodies produced in egg yolk from laying hens.

Immunoglobulins isolated from egg yolk (IgYs) are a convenient source of polyclonal antibodies. Their purification is simple and the yields important (50 mg immunoglobulins/egg). Nevertheless their biochemical characteristics are different from those of rabbit antibodies generally used for the study of molecular defects of plasmatic and platelet proteins. Provided standardization is achieved, IgYs can be used for immunoelectrophoresis, immunoprecipitation or immunoblotting assays. We describe here the electrophoretic and immunoblotting conditions employed to explore human plasmatic and platelet von Willebrand factor (vWF) and human platelet GP IIb-IIIa using IgYs. These two proteins are involved in primary hemostasis and their absence or abnormality is responsible for hereditary bleeding disorders. The methods were applied to the characterization of patients with vWF or GP IIb-IIIa defects and compared to classical mammalian IgG immunoelectrophoretic techniques. Results were further confirmed by flow cytometric analysis.

Animals↗

[Variations of plasma Willebrand factor and fibrinogen in coronary pathology].

In order to determine a marker of prethrombotic states, reliable and easy to measure, we studied 200 patients under 60 years of age admitted to hospital for a precordial chest pain. Four groups were established: transmural myocardial infarction, acute infarction without Q wave, unstable angina and atypical chest pain. Fibrinogen, von Willebrand factor, cholesterol, and triglyceride levels were measured as well as the white cell and platelet counts. There was a statistically significant correlation between transmural myocardial infarction and increased levels of fibrinogen, von Willebrand factor and white blood cells. Von Willebrand factor was already increased in the acute phase of transmural infarction, reached a maximum on the fifth day and then decreased slowly during the following ten days. This study suggests that plasma von Willebrand factor could be a reliable marker of transmural myocardial infarction in the acute phase or during the two weeks following the thrombotic event.

Angina Pectoris↗

[Influence of protein S deficiency on the arterial thrombosis risk].

Protein S is the cofactor of activated protein C which, together with the antithrombin system, is a major regulator of coagulation. Congenital protein S deficiency is an important risk factor for venous thrombosis. In this study of 105 patients with protein S deficiency, 64 had one of several thromboembolic accidents, including 14 arterial thrombotic accidents involving the central nervous system or the myocardium. These accidents occurred in young subjects (mean age: 25 +/- 13 years) only one-third of whom had another risk factor. This high frequency of arterial thrombosis associated with protein S deficiency calls for a prospective study in young subject with cerebral vascular accident or myocardial infarction.

Adolescent↗

DNA amplification of HIV genome in hemophiliacs and in newborns from seropositive mothers.

We evaluated the validity of DNA enzymatic amplification (PCR) in a population at risk for HIV-1 infection, consisting of hemophiliacs and children born to seropositive mothers. All but one of the seropositive hemophiliacs and controls were found positive with the three sets of primers. All the seronegative patients and controls were found negative in PCR. No correlation with the anti-nef serology was found, one seropositive being anti-nef negative and three seronegative anti-nef positive. The results obtained with PCR are in good agreement with classical serology, and this would suggest that the possible period of latency may not be as long as suspected. No seroconversion has been described in hemophiliacs since solvent-detergent inactivated blood products have been in use, and seronegative hemophiliacs no longer constitute a population at risk. Studies on seronegative sexual partners of seropositive patients would be of great interest. For newborns from seropositive mothers, PCR is the only possible technique in early age before seronegativation of the healthy children. Further studies will be required to determine the fiability and sensitivity of the test.

Base Sequence↗

The catalytic role of anionic phospholipids in the activation of protein C by factor Xa and expression of its anticoagulant function in human plasma.

Phospholipids bearing a proportion of anionic species such as phosphatidylserine are necessary to promote the anticoagulant potential of the protein C pathway. Factor Xa (200 or 350 pM) was found to activate protein C in a thrombomodulin-independent reaction requiring only phospholipids in Al(OH)3,-adsorbed plasma resupplemented with physiological concentrations of protein C (70 nM) and protein S (130 nM). All experiments were performed in the presence of an excess of hirudin. The activity of activated protein C was assessed by the survival of factor Va. The optimal phospholipid concentration range was 5 to 25 microM with a proportion of phosphatidylserine of 50% (mol/mol) resulting in a half-life of factor Va of 7.5 min in the absence of protein S and 4.2 min in its presence. Dns-EGR-Xa, an inactive derivative of factor Xa, behaved as an apparent protector of factor Va. When replacing factor Xa, thrombin at 10 nM was not an efficient protein C activator in the absence of purified human placenta thrombomodulin. In the presence of 100 pM activated protein C, factor Va half-life was 2 min in the absence of protein S and 1.1 min in its presence in the above optimal phospholipid concentration range. The presence of protein S allowed reduction of phospholipid requirements. Annexin-V (placental anticoagulant protein-I), a potent phospholipid antagonist, fully protected factor Va from degradation by phospholipid-dependent mechanisms. Factor Va was partially protected in the plasma of a patient having experienced thrombosis associated with lupus-like anticoagulant and anti-phospholipid auto-antibodies.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Anions↗

Antithrombin Glasgow II: alanine 382 to threonine mutation in the serpin P12 position, resulting in a substrate reaction with thrombin.

A female with recurrent thrombosis was found to have a functional abnormality of antithrombin, with a ratio of functional to immunological activity in plasma of approximately 50%. Crossed immunoelectrophoresis in the presence of heparin was normal, indicating an abnormality of the reactive site, rather than the heparin binding domain. Accordingly, the antithrombin was isolated by heparin-Sepharose chromatography: this produced a mixture of normal and variant antithrombin, as the patient was heterozygous for the abnormality. To remove the normal component, the antithrombin was passed through a column of thrombin-Sepharose. On sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), prior to its application to thrombin-Sepharose, the antithrombin migrated as a single band with identical mobility to that of normal antithrombin. After thrombin-Sepharose, the purified variant component was proteolysed, and migrated as two components, one with a reduced and one with enhanced mobility under non-reducing conditions. This demonstrated that the variant was unable to form stable inhibitor-thrombin complexes and was cleaved in a substrate reaction with thrombin. One site of cleavage was unambiguously ascertained to be the Arg 393-Ser 394 reactive site bond, by NH2 terminal sequencing of the cleaved variant antithrombin: 10 steps beginning at the P1' position, Ser-Leu-Asn-Pro-Asn-Arg,..., were clearly identified. The mutation responsible for this defect was studied by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification of exon 6 of the antithrombin gene and direct sequencing of the amplified product. The presence of both a G and A in the first position of codon 382, identified the mutation GCA to ACA, which results in the substitution of Ala 382 to Thr. This is identical to that reported for antithrombin Hamilton (Devraj-Kizuk et al, 1988), although antithrombin gene polymorphism analysis suggests that the antithrombin Glasgow II mutation has arisen independently. We have recently shown (Caso et al, 1991) that mutation at a nearby position, Ala 384 to Pro, also transforms another variant, antithrombin Vicenza/Charleville, into a substrate for thrombin. The present results with antithrombin Glasgow II suggest that all the alanine residues at the base of the reactive site loop in positions P12-10 may be important for the formation of a stabilized inhibitor-thrombin complex.

Adult↗

Screening of protein S deficiency using a functional assay in patients with venous and arterial thrombosis.

Protein S is the vitamin K-dependent cofactor of activated protein C which functions as a potent anticoagulant by degrading activated factors V and VIII in a Ca2+ and phospholipid-dependent reaction. Protein S circulates under two forms, free (approximately 40%) or bound to C4b-binding protein (C4b-bp); only the free form supports the cofactor activity for activated protein C. Total protein S antigen is usually measured by rocket immunoelectrophoresis. Free protein S antigen is measured by the same technique but after precipitation of the protein S-C4b-bp complex by PEG 8000. However, these immunological assays do not detect functional alterations of protein S which can be responsible for thrombosis. This paper describes a functional assay for free protein S based on its ability to promote the prolongation of clotting time following factor Va inactivation by activated protein C when coagulation is triggered by factor Xa. Using this assay a prolongation of about 100 s between 0 and 1 U/ml protein S is measured, allowing a reliable and rapid determination of functional protein S. The correlation coefficient between functional protein S and free antigenic protein S is 0.921. This functional protein S assay has allowed the detection of 34 cases of protein S deficiency, confirmed by immunological assays, and their classification. The striking observation is the high frequency (approximately 25%) of arterial thrombosis in these patients. The rapid determination of functional protein S in patients with venous or arterial thrombosis is of diagnostic interest and should allow the detection of mutant protein S in combination with an immunological assay.

Antigens↗

[Biological manifestations of a prethrombotic state in developmental Crohn's disease].

The authors have studied 21 patients with Crohn's disease and have looked for signs of platelet and blood coagulation activation, by measuring platelet factor 4, beta thromboglobulin and fibrinopeptide A: a fibrinolytic system study with tissue plasminogen activator assessment has also been made. Beta thromboglobulin, platelet factor 4 and fibrinopeptide A were increased in 80 per cent, 100 per cent and 60 per cent of cases respectively. Beta thromboglobulin was significantly correlated with the Van Hees activity index. Plasminogen before venous stasis was significantly decreased and 9 patients had a plasminogen release defect. The relationship between Crohn's disease and thrombosis might partially be explained by a release of inflammation mediators and/or endotoxins: these mediators might induce thrombosis by interfering with the antithrombogenic properties of the endothelial cell. In conclusion these data prove that active Crohn's disease is currently associated with a prethrombotic state, present biologic tests that might predict a venous or arterial thrombosis at short term are not available.

Adult↗

Activation of human protein C by blood coagulation factor Xa in the presence of anionic phospholipids. Enhancement by sulphated polysaccharides.

The activation of protein C by thrombin is thought to occur at the endothelial cell surface in the presence of an essential membrane glycoprotein cofactor, thrombomodulin. In the present study it is demonstrated that, in the presence of hirudin, the most potent known inhibitor of thrombin, human protein C can be activated by human factor Xa (20 nM), but by a thrombomodulin-independent mechanism requiring only the presence of Ca2+ and phospholipid vesicles bearing a high proportion of negative charges (30-75% phosphatidylserine, depending on the conditions). At an optimal concentration of phosphatidylserine/phosphatidylcholine (1:1, w/w) of 75 microM, the apparent Km was 1 microM with a kcat. of 1 min-1. At 25 microM-phospholipid the Km was unchanged and the kcat. was 0.67 min-1. At either lipid concentration, increasing the density of negative charges by the adjunction of sulphated polysaccharides, like pentosan polysulphate or standard heparin at optimal concentrations of 2-5 micrograms/ml and 5-10 micrograms/ml respectively, resulted in a 4-fold increase of the kcat. without affecting the Km. Sulphated polysaccharides alone were poor promoters of protein C activation by factor Xa. In any case the presence of Ca2+ was essential, the dependence being sigmoidal with Hill coefficients ranging from 1.4 to 2.0. No significant activation of 4-carboxyglutamic acid-domainless protein C, a chymotrypic derivative lacking the phospholipid-binding domain, could be detected in the presence of phospholipids and Ca2+, with or without pentosan polysulphate. In a large molar excess, other phospholipid-binding entities like prothrombin fragments F1 or F1+2 could inhibit protein C activation by factor Xa, but pentosan polysulphate exerted a clear protective effect. Factor Xa irreversibly inhibited at its active centre, but not di-isopropyl phosphoro-thrombin, behaved as an inhibitor but in a more complex manner than simple Michaelis-Menten kinetics. Among several derivatives of pentosan polysulphate or of heparin which were tested, those having the higher degree of sulphation and/or molecular mass were the most efficient in enhancing the rate of activation of protein C by factor Xa in the presence of phospholipids. These results suggest that human factor Xa, at physiological concentrations, could activate human protein C in the presence of anionic phospholipids and that this activation could be potentiated by therapeutic concentrations of sulphated polysaccharides.

Factor Xa↗

[Relation of an increase of von Willebrand factor in the blood, acute myocardial infarction, unstable angina and coronary thrombosis].

Forty six patients admitted for precordial chest pain were included in this study. The clinical, electrocardiographic, enzymatic and angiographic features allowed retrospective identification of 6 subgroups (nos 1 to 6): all transmural myocardial infarction (Q-MI) (Group 1), Q-MI without intracoronary thrombus (Group 2), Q-MI with intracoronary thrombus (Group 3), acute non-Q wave infarction (non Q-MI) (Group 4), unstable angina (Group 5) and atypical chest pain (Group 6). Several blood clotting factors were studied; von Willebrand factor (VWF), fibrinogen, tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) and its inhibitor (PAI-1) and factor VII. There was no significant difference in the fibrinogen, t-PA, PAI-1 or factor VII levels between the 6 groups. On the other hand, the VWF was increased in the all transmural myocardial infarction (Q-MI) groups (n. 1). In Group 3 with visible intracoronary thrombus the VWF was high or very high in all patients, attaining three times the normal values. The values were lower in Group 5 (unstable angina) patients in whom no thrombus was observed on coronary angiography. The differences between Group 1 and Groups 4, 5 and 6 were statistically significant (p less than 0.05). The VWF was higher in the Q-MI group with intracoronary thrombus than in the group without thrombus, but the difference was not statistically different. In conclusion, the VWF may be considered to be a marker for thrombus and/or endothelial activation but a larger study population would be required to identify more accurately the subgroups with thrombosis or risk of thrombosis.

Adult↗

Carrier detection in hemophilia using pedigree analysis coagulation tests and DNA probes.

Hemophilia A and B are hereditary X-linked recessive bleeding disorders due to an anomaly or absence of the gene coding for coagulation factors VIII or IX. Until recently, carrier detection was performed on standard pedigree analysis and clotting factor assays. Due to lyonisation, the results obtained by these methods were only probabilistic. Recombinant DNA procedures have now been applied to the identification of molecular defects and carrier detection in inherited diseases. Because of the great heterogeneity of the molecular defects in hemophilia, the diagnosis of carrier status has to be made by the study of restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLP) genetically linked to factor VIII or factor IX genes. In a large number of cases, gene probing provides certain diagnosis. We studied some 300 individuals belonging to 70 families with hemophilia A or B. We used two probes to explore hemophilia A: an intragenic probe, p114.12, which detects an RFLP with the enzyme BclI and the extragenic polymorphic probe, St 14, which reveals an RFLP with the enzyme TaqI. For hemophilia B a genomic probe comprising exons b, c, d was used to detect an RFLP linked to a TaqI site. Despite the risk of recombination due to its extragenic location, the St 14 probe proved to be very useful because of the high informativity obtained in the families with hemophilia A. In contrast, the low informativity of the factor IX probe necessitates a search for other RFLPs in or near the factor IX gene. A comparison of the different methods used for carrier detection showed the possibility of misdiagnosis when using only pedigree analysis and biologic data and the improved certainty of diagnosis by gene probing.

Blood Coagulation Tests↗

Low dose heparin versus low molecular weight heparin (Kabi 2165, Fragmin) in the prophylaxis of thromboembolic complications of abdominal oncological surgery.

Eighty patients undergoing pelvic or abdominal surgery for cancer were randomized in two groups for prevention of postoperative thromboembolism: 40 patients received a 15,000 IU day-1 Calciparine prophylaxis and 40 patients a 5000 anti-Xa U/d Fragmin prophylaxis for 10 days. In the Calciparine group, two patients (5%) developed postoperative pulmonary embolism but none developed it in the Fragmin group. Two patients in the Fragmin group (5%) developed isotopic DVT, which was not confirmed by phlebography. There was no deep vein thrombosis of the lower limbs in the two groups. Important postoperative bleeding (one patient in the Calciparine group and two patients in the Fragmin group) was similar in both groups. Moderate and minor bleeding were significantly lower in the Fragmin group. Haemoglobin and haematocrit changes, total blood loss and transfusion requirements were not different in both groups. It is concluded that, over a 10-day period, one daily 5000 U Fragmin prophylaxis was as effective and safe as three daily 5000 IU Calciparine injections.

Abdominal Neoplasms↗

Clinical and biological survey of haemophilia A and B patients infused with French heat-treated concentrates.

The efficiency of heat treatment procedures of factor VIII and factor IX concentrates, prepared from voluntary, non-paid donors by three French Blood Transfusion Centres, on the inactivation of HIV and non-A, non-B hepatitis (NANB) viruses was assessed. Some 43 patients (26 haemophilia A, 17 haemophilia B) were followed for at least 1 year by testing for HIV antibodies and alanine aminotransferase (ALT). No HIV seroconversion was observed indicating that heat treatment was completely efficient. Among 26 haemophiliacs, 6 (4 haemophilia A, 2 haemophilia B) presented an elevation in ALT, indicating only a 75% reduction of NANB viral contamination.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗

[Preliminary results of a randomized trial comparing the efficacy of standard heparin with that of fragmine, a low molecular weight heparin, in the prevention of postoperative thrombosis in cancer surgery].

Low molecular weight heparins have stimulated much interest because of their supposedly more selective action on Xa factor. A randomized study in 50 patients compared efficacy of low doses of a standard heparin, calciparin (5,000 IU/8 h) with that of a low molecular weight heparin, fragmine (Kabi 2165) (5,000 anti-Xa U/24 h), in the prophylaxis of postoperative thrombosis after oncologic surgery. Three of 25 patients receiving calciparin developed pulmonary embolism, as against one of 25 treated with fragmine who developed a periphlebitis. Hemorrhagic complications were comparable in the two groups. Anti-Xa activity was significantly higher in the fragmine group, whereas platelet counts, cephalin times with activator and anti-IIa activity were similar. These findings indicate equal efficacy of fragmine and calciparin in the prophylaxis of post-oncology surgery venous thrombosis.

Adult↗